It was Ruth.

“It’s been a while.”

He seemed to recognize Lelia. Even though he was looking at her with a strange look, he greeted her happily.

Lelia felt her irritation rising sharply.

It’s because she often had nightmares of him from the last time she stayed, and then had to flee the Imperial castle. From the time she returned to the estate, until she returned to the capital.

They were all nightmares where Ruth was in them.

In her dreams, he relentlessly harassed Lelia by using his holy relic as an excuse.

For her, the days she spent in the Imperial castle were a series of misfortunes.

Of course, it wasn’t too bad when she thought of her friends, but it was terrible when she thought of Ruth.

Perhaps that’s why she couldn’t greet Ruth happily.

As she bowed her head slightly with a forced smile, Ruth coughed loudly. As if it was embarrassing.

“I won’t ask you why you did that to me, but I do have to ask you one thing.”

“...”

“Why did you exchange the holy relics?”

[Why would I do that? I switched it because I needed it.]

She was frustrated because the person she hated the most appeared and quarreled about a disturbing situation.

However, Ruth’s position was also not incomprehensible.

[You must have thought you were deceived.]

She felt a little sorry. Apart from that, she had no energy left to deal with Ruth now.

“It was because I needed it.”

“Then was the friendship you had with me fake?”

“...”

Lelia sighed deeply inside and raised her head.

When she met Ruth’s eyes, which were shining brightly with great pressure.. Suddenly, she felt suffocated.

What do you mean friendship? She felt like Ruth always talked to her like a subordinate.

“Rather than friendship.. I was more of a one-sided errand boy, a messenger.”

“What? What do you mean?!”

“I’m sorry, but I have nothing more to say, Sir Ruth. There’s nothing I want to say. So, can you get out of my way now?”

She couldn’t just pass by because he was blocking a narrow pathway to the garden.

Ruth looked at her with a stunned look, as if he was speechless.

“Move out of the way.”

“...”

At Lelia’s words full of annoyance, he stepped aside with a hurt look.

Lelia walked past him and moved with purpose.

[Why did I come back here?]

She wanted to? settle her relationship with Emperor Perseus as soon as possible and live in peace..

[I never imagined Griffith would do that to me.]

[And then being shameless as if nothing was wrong..]

He seemed to have a different way of thinking than her.

[I was going to ask Griffith for something else..]

Lelia was planning to distribute the alchemy medicine that treated her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s. Because of the fixed materials, the drug could be produced almost indefinitely.

She wanted to help many people suffering from the same illness.

It was a world where patients and their families have to live under the stigma of suffering from an ‘ethereal disease’ for the rest of their lives.

So she was going to ask Griffith for a favor.

If rumors spread that he had made medicine for the disease through his divine power, it was clear that the temple would not be able to impose any sanctions.

In addition, most people here were religious. She judged that people would trust and take the medicine if it was made by Griffith, who has excellent sacred powers.

But now, she was not confident enough to face Griffith again and treat him like before.

***

There was someone else who she didn’t want to face, other than Griffith, and wasn’t as confident around as before.

It was Oscar.

Lelia strolled around the garden for a long time to calm her head.

Then she realized how much time had passed and turned around. But she could see Oscar approaching from afar.

[Uh-oh..]

As soon as Lelia found Oscar, she turned around.

Then, she started walking fast down the path toward the forest, as if she were subconsciously running away.

[Why am I running away?]

[Is the medicine still effective?]

Two emotions were conflicting in her head.

One side demanded she not run away from Oscar because it missed him, and the other shouted to run away because it was too embarrassing.

She thought the medicine’s effect had disappeared by morning. However, she realized that she was still wrestling with it.

While walking in a hurry, Lelia opened the production screen and found a ‘decryption’.

It’s not a poison, but she thought it might be a little effective if she took it as an antidote.

‘Antitoxin’ production completed! (????-)???

After checking that the completion screen appeared, she immediately took the medicine out of her inventory.

Then stopped to take the medicine..

“You didn’t run away because of me, did you?”

A low voice was heard from behind.

COUGH

Surprised while drinking a medicine bottle, Lelia grabbed her throat while coughing.

Then she felt his cold hands touching the back of her neck.

Lelia slowly stopped coughing and turned her head.

“...”

Oscar was looking down at her with a frown.

She took a small deep breath while watching him.

[If there’s any traces of the medicine left, it’ll disappear, right?]

“Lelia.”

“...”

Even as she waited for a little bit, the medicine’s effect still seemed to remain.

Otherwise, Oscar’s voice alone wouldn’t make her heart beat like crazy.

His voice calling her name felt so sweet.

“What did Griffith feed you?”

“...”

“Griffith was silent when I cut off his arm.”

Lelia frowned at his words.

When she visited Griffith earlier, he looked fine, without any wounds.

Was it Oscar who visited before that? Or after that?

“I won’t open my mouth even if I get tortured because I can heal myself with divine power anyway.”

“...”

If it weren’t for that, it sounded like he would have cut his arm and tortured him right away.

Feeling horrified, Lelia opened her mouth.

“..It’s just, it’s not any medicine. It’s okay now, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“..Did you take hallucinogens? Or an estrus drug?”

“What kind of..”

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have done such a thing.”

“...”

“There’s no way you’d beg me to kiss you.”

“What..”

“You.. Because you don’t like me.”

“...”

Lelia was embarrassed by the unexpected words.

[I hate you?]

How could he think of that.. Lelia thought it was ridiculous.

But looking at Oscar’s expression, he seemed to really feel that way without any exaggeration.

His hurt expression made her feel even more miserable.

“...”

Lelia clenched her fist. The remaining medicine’s influence was affecting her impulse control.

It’s so pitiful and painful.

She wanted to hug him quickly, and soothe him with kisses.

Oscar’s expression looked lonely. Like a fairy in a lake, or deep forest, where no one comes to visit.

“I don’t hate you, Oscar.”

“...”

“I don’t know why you think so.”

“Then what?”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t hate me, then do you like me?”

Her heart suddenly sank at the sudden question. He sounded like he was pleading.

She was confused with what Oscar meant by the words, ‘Do you like me?’ Of course, he was asking on the premise of a relationship between a man and woman.

Lelia bowed her head to avoid his eyes.

“Sorry. To be honest, I don’t know..”

“Then what about the others?”

“Huh?”

“Do you like someone else, one of the others among us?”

Oscar’s eyes as he was asking the question were unusual.

Oscar’s inquisitive eyes looked extraordinary. When he said that, he seemed to be hiding the motivation to tear and kill.

“No, I don’t..”

[I’ve never thought of my friends in that way.]

[I never thought I’d fall in love with anyone of the opposite gender and get married.]

Maybe because of the medicine’s effects, she suddenly began to imagine a future where she marries Oscar.

[Editor: Keep blaming the medicine, Lelia.?ヽ(′ー` )┌]

Oscar in her imagination was sweet and lovely. With warm eyes, who longed for her affection.

Lelia was happy and peaceful.

However, in her imagination she was cut off from the world.

Even her beloved family, the Superions, were never seen again.

For some reason, she frowned at her ominous imaginings. Oscar was really.. She felt like she was really going to isolate herself like that.

She thought she should speak properly at this point.

“Just say it yourself. You will be mine.. When you’ve completed what you’re going to do here, you’ll follow me and stay with me for the rest of your life.”

Recalling what he had said, Lelia responded.

“I can’t keep my promise to you.”

“...”

“I’m sorry to say this now.. I can’t keep up with you.”

She needed her family.

As precious as her friends were to her, the Superion family was also important to Lelia.

It was the driving force behind her will to live and see the future.

There was a moment of silence.

Lelia bowed her head deeply, because she felt sorry for some reason.

At that time, a low voice was heard above her head.

“Of course..”

Strangely, the moment she heard his voice, she felt a chill run up her spine. Lelia looked up reflexively and faced a cold look.

Eyes that sparkled like a snake with a strange feeling of madness, stared at her gently.

“There’s no reason for me to behave now, right?”

“..Huh?”

It was a completely different cold tone and voice from when he seemed to be begging.

Lelia couldn’t say anything for a moment, as if her mind had frozen.

When Oscar removed the mask, it was as if he threw away the fake eyes that were hiding his inner self.

It was only then that Lelia realized.

Oscar’s eyes were always like that.

When he followed her when she ran away from the Imperial Castle, she remembered the fear she felt from those eyes.

While staying at the Superion Territory, Oscar had a calm look. Somehow, she forgot because he had such a warm look on his face.

“...”

Now, his eyes were like glass that felt nothing while looking at her.

The corners of his mouth went up very slowly and finely.

“I agreed to be quiet as a condition of waiting for your answer, did you forget?”

“...”

Lelia blinked.

Yeah, it was definitely like that. He told her to follow him and promised to be by her side for the rest of his life..

She replied that she’d answer if he were calm until the end of her work.

Lelia finally answered that.

“I expected you’d refuse.”

“...”

“However, I thought you’d think about it a little more.”

“..That..”

“You’re really..”

“...”

“You don’t like me, Leo.”

As soon as she heard that, she thought something was wrong. Lelia hardened and looked at Oscar.

Oscar somehow spoke in a pleasant voice, as if nothing mattered.

“Then I’ll do whatever I want now.”

“Because you won’t like me no matter what I do.”

Whispering in the background, Oscar disappeared from Lelia’s sight.